Tape having insufficient tack to self fuse in the relaxed state, but capable of fusing after being elongated by about 50 percent and wrapped into overlapping layers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,133. The tape is cosmetically desirable because it does not contain a separate layer of adhesive, or any tackifiers, and hence does not leave a gummy tackifier residue on surfaces to which it is applied. In addition, the tape exhibits superior performance characteristics in cold environments or upon being immersed in water, which characteristics are difficult or impossible to duplicate in tapes having a separate adhesive layer.
Heretobefore it has not been possible to provide the tape in a convenient, linerless, roll form. Firstly, if the tape is wound without tension, the resulting roll is prone to undesired unwinding (since the tape does not have sufficient tack to reliably self adhere in the relaxed state). Alternatively, if the tape is rolled under sufficient tension, segments of the tape will elongate and strongly self-adhere or fuse to the point where the roll cannot be conveniently unwound. This second problem can be readily solved by inserting a removable liner as a separator between overlapping tape layers. However, removal of the liner is somewhat tedious and hence the tape is considered to be inconvenient. Furthermore, the liner causes an extra manufacturing cost and produces an undesirable waste that the final user must dispose of. Accordingly, a linerless roll of such tape would be a useful addition to the art.
It has not been surprisingly discovered that a convenient, linerless roll of tension wound, non-tacky tape can be prepared when the diameter of the roll is less than 12 cm and when the tape contains an effective amount of a fatty amide anti-blocking agent.